October 20, 2022
On October 20, 2022, we said goodbye to Karen Dawn Smith. With her dearest loved ones by her side, she passed suddenly and peacefully surrounded by love. She will be missed by all, leaving an incredibly large hole in all that knew her best, and loved her most. Karen is survived by her husband of 52 years, Michael, son Jason, daughter Jennifer (Darwin), her grandchildren Ryan and Taylor, brother Bob (Pattie), and sister Lynne (Jim).
Born in Vancouver in 1950 to Irma and Don Clydesdale, Karen was the oldest of 3 children. The stories of this family are some of the most entertaining you could ever imagine. Both Irma and Don passed a number of years ago and were greatly missed by Karen. She was extremely close and spoke to her Dad on the phone every day for many, many years. Karen, or Granny as her family called her, spoke often of her parents and it was always so heartfelt and endearing.
Karen was happiest in her yard, planting, raking and weeding. It wasn't uncommon to see her active for hours and hours, day after day out there. Her children and grandchildren were such a source of pride for Karen and the joy she received from being with them, was hard to miss. The light shone so bright from Granny. The family can't remember a time where you would cross paths and her lips didn't curl towards the sky as she gave you her welcoming smile. Her eyes would squint, that cute button nose would scrunch up and you would feel that light shining on you.
The love and devotion that Karen and Mike showed for each other over their 52 years built a foundation for a family that is so very close. They were entangled and connected very deeply, each other's best friends. Life partners on a journey full of so many ups/downs, twists and turns. The memories left behind coupled with the lessons learned from her will live on long after she is laid to rest. Her legacy will outlive us all.
A private celebration of life will be held by the family at a future date.